Amman, April 28 (Petra) -- The advisory committee for the "My City Cares: Towards Child-Friendly Cities" project held its inaugural meeting at the Zaha Cultural Center on Tuesday, marking a significant step toward integrating early childhood development into Jordan’s urban infrastructure.

The initiative, supervised by the Ministry of Local Administration, is part of the global Urban95 network and receives financial and technical support from the Bernard van Leer Foundation. It aims to redesign urban environments to better serve children under the age of five and their caregivers.

Rania Subieh‏, Executive Director of the Zaha Cultural Center, highlighted the success of previous collaborations with the foundation, noting that the new project seeks to scale those achievements across various municipalities. The strategy focuses on incorporating the specific needs of children into formal urban planning and local decision-making processes.

Beyond infrastructure, the project will launch a "Child-Friendly Cities Challenge" to incentivize municipal innovation and create scalable models that can be implemented nationwide. These efforts align with the drivers of Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision, particularly in sectors concerning education, environmental sustainability, and quality of life.

The project employs a participatory approach, bringing together government bodies, academic institutions, and local communities to ensure long-term impact. By improving public spaces and services, officials hope to foster more inclusive and sustainable urban environments for families.

The newly formed advisory committee includes key figures such as Areej Zreikat, Director of Local Development at the Ministry of Local Administration, and Mohammad Miqdadi, Secretary-General of the National Council for Family Affairs. Representation also extends to international organizations, including UN-Habitat and the Queen Rania Foundation, alongside urban planning experts from the University of Jordan, the Jordan University of Science and Technology, and Al-Hussein Technical University.

The committee’s formation reflects a broader national effort to position Jordan as a regional leader in child-centric urban development, ensuring that the integration of social welfare and municipal planning yields tangible improvements in the daily lives of citizens.

//Petra// AF